News in brief

A Newcastle upon Tyne man was charged last night with murdering his children, their mother and their uncle. Neil Crampton, 33, was arrested when officers went to an address on Tuesday morning after a call from a man who told them: "I have killed my entire family." Mr Crampton needed medical attention before he could be interviewed. The bodies of Olofunke Sobo and her brother Yemi were found downstairs, and her children, Abigail Crampton, 12, and Steven Crampton, five, were found in their bedrooms. Police said neighbours heard a disturbance at at 11pm on Monday.Press Association

Seven Britons win £6.5m each in EuroMillions draw

Seven Britons each won an estimated £6.5m in the EuroMillions draw last night, after unconfirmed results indicated that no one ticket took the entire estimated jackpot of £120m, which would have been the world's largest ever single lottery win, dwarfing the £77m won by an Irish woman last July. Instead, it rolled down to the next tier of winners, who matched five numbers and one Lucky Star. Numbers drawn were 12, 22, 32, 33, and 36; Lucky Stars were 2 and 6. There were also four similar winners in France, three each in Portugal and Spain, two in Ireland, and one in Belgium, Camelot said.Press Association

Balmy Manchester disappoints skaters

Jokes about Manchester's weather usually feature rain rather than tropical warmth, but yesterday an open-air ice rink in the city centre was forced to open a day late because the ice would not set. Temperatures reached 10C on Thursday, leaving puddles on the surface. A spokesman said outdoor rinks used underfloor chillers that could be defeated by unusually warm weather. David King and Stacey Kemp, British senior pairs champions, were due to open the rink, which will remain in Piccadilly Gardens into the new year. Skaters who have booked will be able to select new times. David Ward

Casino Royale smashes Bond box office record

Casino Royale has smashed the box office record for the opening night of a Bond film, it was announced yesterday. The film, starring Daniel Craig in his debut as 007, took £1.7m at the box office yesterday, when it was previewed at cinemas across the UK. Distributors said the figure shattered the previous high for the series set by Die Another Day, which took £1.1m on its opening night in 2002. Casino Royale, which received a royal premiere earlier this week, is based on Ian Fleming's first novel to feature Bond, published in 1953. The film traces Bond's early career. Press Association

Former mayor jailed over electoral fraud

A former Democratic Unionist mayor yesterday received a four-month jail sentence for electoral fraud in Northern Ireland. Dessie Stewart, 57, from Coleraine, received the sentence at Antrim crown court, sitting in Newry, after admitting four counts of impersonating people in postal votes and two counts of fraudulently stopping them from exercising the right to vote. He also received a five-year ban on him holding public office and voting. The court was told that Stewart impersonated residents in a nursing home in Portrush during last year's general election. Press Association

New bishop inaugurated in Birmingham

The new Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Rev David Urquhart, was inaugurated yesterday in a ceremony at the city's cathedral attended by about 800 people. The former Bishop of Birkenhead in the diocese of Chester, who used to be an executive for BP, succeeds John Sentamu, now the Archbishop of York. Speaking before the service, Mr Urquhart said: "I am quickly learning that Birmingham is a most hospitable and welcoming place and I already feel very settled in the West Midlands." The Church of England diocese of Birmingham has a population of more than 1,300,000 people. Press Association

Two more arrested over £53m Securitas robbery

Two more arrests have been made in connection with the £53m Securitas robbery in Tonbridge in February, Kent police confirmed yesterday. Eleven people already face charges in connection with what is believed to be Britain's largest robbery. Police made the arrests this month after officers searched three homes, a business, a boxing and judo club, and a beach hut in towns along the east Kent coast as part of the continuing investigation into the robbery, a spokesman said. The two men arrested have been bailed until February 8 next year. About £21m of the stolen money has been recovered. Duncan Campbell

Lowry painting sells for £1.25m

A Riverbank, a painting by LS Lowry, sent for auction by Bury council in Greater Manchester to help plug a £10m hole in its accounts, was sold to a private buyer for £1.25m at Christie's in London yesterday. The selling price, far higher than the £500,000 to £800,000 estimated, is the second highest paid for a Lowry at auction. The council bought the picture of the river Irwell from a London dealer in 1951 for £175. The Museum Association had condemned the council's decision to sell as "deeply irresponsible" but yesterday Bury's chief executive, Mark Sanders, said: "Although the council regrets having to realise funds from its art collection, the alternatives such as even more redundancies and closure of valued services were more disturbing." David Ward

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.